TGT: Compiling Gratitude
by ScarletteSorceress
Summary: A collection of one shot requests from my reviwers of The Greatest Treasure in thanks for us passing 400 reviews. From letters to guardians and Mama Marco to previews and family bonding; all your requests are being compiled here. You will need to have read The Greatest Treasure to understand most of this. Warning: Fluff ahead
1. Dear Makino and Dadan

**A/N: Hey everyone~ These are a collection of one shots that my darling readers of 'The Greatest Treasure' requested when we reached over 400 reviews. I want to get all these out before I update that story and they needed to be in a separate story rather than a bonus chapter because a bonus chapter would have simply been too long to fit everything in.**

 **Anyway this chapter is a collection of letters, mainly from Ace and Sabo, to Makino and Dadan, talking about their adventures up until Christmas. This was requested by the amazing UkeObsessed so you can all thank them for this~**

 **Hope you like it and can forgive me for not updating my stories in such a long time :'(**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece**

* * *

 _Dear Makino,_

 _You did ask us to write to you and Dadan every so often so that's what I'm doing now. I also think Ace and Luffy may have forgotten about this promise but I'll make sure to remind them to write as soon as they can._

 _But sorry you've had to wait so long for a letter; it's already been several months. Time flies out here on the ocean and we've been up to so much I don't know how I'm going to fit it all in._

 _But something I think you should know is we've made it to the Grand Line. Impressive, huh? Believe it or not we had to climb over a mountain to get here. The first thing we came across though was a giant whale and a crazy old lighthouse keeper. The poor whale has been waiting for around forty seven years for his friends to return back but the lighthouse keeper suspects they've died on the Grand Line's treacherous waters. Luffy felt really bad for him. You'll never believe what he did though: he found a way to get through to the whale and promised that, in three years time when he starts on his own journey, he'll come back and spend some time with him. It's just like Luffy, isn't it? Though I dread to think what my little brother might be planning to do with a whale that big. Knowing him he'd try and bring it along as a crew member._

 _However that's just the start of our Grand Line adventure and I shouldn't be telling you about our journey in reverse order so I'll start at the beginning again._

 _When we sailed away from Dawn Island I don't think any of us would have expected how much we'd miss you (and the rotten bandits but don't let them know that: they'd cry more than Luffy ever did when he was seven if they knew we missed them). But we forged on and continued sailing, landing on all sorts of islands. On one of the islands we visited we managed to recruit a 'first mate' of sorts called Makou from a kind town called Orange Town. I say of sorts because Ace is still hesitant to give him that position despite the fact they trust one another explicitly. I think he does this out of some misplaced guilt for my feelings. Honestly I don't care if Makou is first mate; he does a much better job of Ace-wrangling than I do (mainly because I tend to agree with whatever whim my darling older brother gets into his head; they're just so interesting!)_

 _We also picked up a cook from the same town who is also Makou's younger brother. His name is Khaled and honestly I don't know how we're all going to stay in shape with the amount of scrumptious cakes he makes us. It also doesn't help that he's quite a gentle natured bloke and therefore can't say no to any of Luffy's demands. Though something tells me it's Ace that's requesting all the cake while Luffy requests steak for dinner every night if he can get away with it. Either way I'll need to actually talk to Khaled soon about food supplies._

 _One island I definitely want to talk to you about was Loguetown. It's known as 'the beginning of the end' did you know that? Luffy wanted to go see the execution platform but I knew Ace didn't want to be around the island for too long let alone go near the place his father was executed so I managed to convince him not to go. It was bad enough that Luffy talked our ears off about the Pirate King as soon as he knew where we were stopping off at. I though Ace was going to drown him. Also did I mention Ace has eaten a devil fruit? He found one just off the coast of Loguetown actually. It could just be me being silly but it did seem odd that he found a way to access the power of the sea devils at the death place of one of the greatest devils to ever live._

 _Of course I haven't shared this feeling with him; he'd try and kill me if he knew what I thought._

 _But is it possible for Roger to be looking out for Ace, even though he's been dead for almost nineteen years now? I know I shouldn't still believe in the supernatural and whimsical notions of fantasy writers but I can't help but think that maybe it was fate for Ace to find the Mera Mera no Mi on the shores of Loguetown almost on the anniversary of Roger's death. Is that stupid of me to believe? I know fathers very rarely come through for their kids and there are very few genuine fathers out there but is it wrong for me to wish Ace did have a genuine father? Or is it only cruel for me to wish him something that he never had the chance of knowing?_

 _Sorry to bug you down with all these questions but I don't know who else I could ask. No-one else knows of Ace's lineage after all and it will be a very cold day in hell when I ask Dadan for this kind of advice._

 _Loving you always,_

 _Buttercup, Blossom, and Bubbles._

 _P.S. I might not be able to write regularly due to the whole being a pirate thing but if you send your reply back with Susanna (the bird) then it will be guaranteed to reach me._

* * *

 **Listen up old hag; I wouldn't be doing this if Sabo wasn't making me so don't go getting all emotional because you miss us, okay?**

 **To be honest I'm not even sure what Sabo wants me to put in this letter (or why he's making me write it) as I'm sure Makino would have told you everything Sabo wrote to her in his own letter. But he won't stop glaring at me so I better crack on.**

 **(I think he's still upset about the pudding and yoghurt incident. Don't ask)**

 **Any way, we are now in the Grand Line (as I'm sure Makino has already told you) and I got my bounty poster last week! How cool is that? 27,000,000 is a pretty good starting bounty, huh? Luffy got kinda sulky about it for a bit before going on about how he'd get a better starting bounty than mine. Good luck to him I say. Not that I doubt my baby brother but he's gonna have to do something pretty phenomenal to beat that on his first go. Especially in East Blue.**

 **The Grand Line sure is strange though. Each island has its own magnetic field so compasses and logic don't work here. At first it screwed Sabo over because we couldn't really navigate very well but now he loves it; this sea runs on a twisted logic that only Sabo could love. I mean it might be interesting to learn about now we've got a log pose but I'm kinda getting sick of surprise storms that almost throw me over board.**

 **By the way I've eaten a devil fruit so I can't swim anymore. Worth it though; I'm now made of fire!**

 **There was also this massive whale that Luffy found a way to befriend but it wasn't that surprising. The poor guy was just waiting for his friends. If Sabo hadn't put his foot down I would have let Lu bring the whale along but we don't know the full dangers of this sea yet so we couldn't.**

 **However we also found this really cool lizard the other day that lights up when it comes in contact with heat; it's so cool and I want to keep it but I doubt Sabo will let me. Maybe if I say it's a baby dragon he will. And yes, he is still obsessed with dragons, we haven't managed to break the obsession just yet.**

 **I also think he may be corrupting Lu; he might be turning into a dragon nerd as well. Also no luck breaking Lu out of the octopus obsession yet either; he still insists that octopi are the coolest creatures under the sea.**

 **Now Sabo's gone to check out the rest of the island so I can finally stop writing this letter. If I can send it off before he gets back then that would be amazing!**

 **Later old hag,**

 **Ace (and Sabo and Luffy too)**

 **P.S. How did you pick out your second-in-command without hurting everyone's feelings?**

* * *

 _Dear Makino,_

 _Sorry for not replying to your letter for a while: a lot has been happening. I won't bore you with the retelling of all our misadventures but I do have something exciting to tell you:_

 _We know where Whitebeard is!_

 _I know this might come as a shock to you but for Ace to be greater than his father he feels like he must defeat his rival: so it's off to beat Whitebeard we go. I'm not optimistic but I will continue to support Ace's dream, no matter what! He's my brother after all. Also there was a rumour that Shanks was around the island we were on a few days ago but I don't know how true that is. We didn't let Luffy know of course but it would be a shame if we missed our chance to thank him._

 _I'm sure Woodstock is in a rage right about now. My bounty increased and so did Ace's. Luffy still doesn't have one (though I think that's Garp's doing.) Luffy doesn't seem to mind too much. He says he would prefer to earn his bounty with his own crew rather than with us. Not going to lie that did sting a little and Ace was depressed about it for about a day but he'll get over it._

 _Also Ace is thinking about getting another tattoo. I'm not too sure myself on what design he's thinking of but I'm sure he'll take his time with this one. Do me a favour and don't tell Dadan (you remember how much she freaked when Ace came home with his name tattooed on his arm after all). Also don't tell Dadan about this (or anyone really) but I've been thinking about getting my ears pierced. You have your ears pierced so I'm wondering if you could tell me more about the process and healing. I saw this really cool earring thing in a market the other day: it was a dragon that rested on the edge of your ear and its tail went through the piercing. It looked amazing! I really wanted to buy it and I just think earrings are really cool and pretty. Maybe I will buy something like it if I do end up getting piercings..._

 _Luffy's still terrified of needles so there's little to no chance of him getting piercings or a tattoo._

 _Also Makou is officially the first mate. Ace finally made up his mind. I was right though; he was concerned about hurting my feelings. Honestly I don't mind; Makou's a good choice after all and Ace trusts him an awful lot. Besides, I'm still the first person he comes to for advice so it's not like anything has really changed in that regard. I'm still the one who knows Ace better than anyone else (except maybe Luffy)._

 _Speaking of Luffy he managed to hit all of his targets the other day and he's gotten strong enough to punch a cliff and leave a dent! How brilliant is that? Our baby brother's getting so much stronger it's actually kind of scary to watch. Everytime we're in a fight it's as if he suddenly knows everything there is to know about fighting. He's making up new moves, he's practising them and adjusting them to match his opponents in strength and he's just constantly developing and growing as he fights. It's slightly surreal when I see it because I end up thinking; if only he could understand maths in the same way he understands fighting. It would certainly make teaching him a lot easier._

 _And yes we are still keeping up on our studies. Ace is getting everything as easily as normal but he's still as lazy as a basking seal or something. I'll teach him something and he'll be able to write and apply it perfectly when he can be bothered to (which, as you know, is hardly ever.) It's made others think he's as dense as Luffy, though it is hilarious to see their reactions when Ace explains how he worked out the trajectory of his flames and how he adjusted it for wind speed and direction in about ten seconds, plus being able to control temperature down to the smallest degree and understand how heat changes as it's in motion. It's gratifying to see, that's for sure._

 _But the Grand Line is so fascinating I just want to learn as much as I can about it. Did you know that in some parts of the Grand Line you can dive in and see the different currents pull and run away from each other because different coloured bioluminescent are trapped in the currents? It's incredibly beautiful to see that for sure. And yes, I am taking advantage of the fact both my brothers now can't follow me in the ocean. It's certainly easier to hear myself think during an argument with there are gallons of water separating us._

 _Anyway I'll try and write again before we catch up to Whitebeard but if I don't then assume we're recovering from the thrashing we're about to get. We really are lucky that he came back into this side of the Grand Line for a while._

 _Loving and missing you,_

 _Buttercup, Blossom, and Bubbles._

* * *

 **Hey old hag!**

 **We're on our way to face up against Whitebeard; we've heard several rumours and had several tip offs that are helping us on our way. But I have something very important I need you to say to the Shitty Geezer when you see him:**

 **FUCK OFF AND LEAVE ME ALONE ALREADY!**

 **He's been trying to recruit me as a Warlord: A WARLORD! Why the hell would I want to be a caged pirate? It's ridiculous and stupid and incredibly big headed of them to even conceive the idea that I might have the smallest inclination into throwing away the freedom I've gained to join an organisation that has been trying to kill me since before I could crawl! I hate the marines! Why the hell would I want to become their fucking lapdog? ARGH!**

 **Hit my grandfather for me the next time you see him, okay?**

 **Thanks!**

 **But seriously Dadan, a Warlord? That's crazier than Sabo's messed up fairytales.**

 _I'm sorry about this Dadan but if I did not take over he would continue on this tangent for at least two more pages of parchment (trust me: he's been ranting about this for almost a month now. Needless to say he's very very annoyed). And there's nothing wrong with my fairytales because Luffy seems to like them so don't believe a word Ace says!_

 **Yeah they're completely normal (if by normal he means that at least someone always ends up dead with his intestines coming out of his eyeballs and strangling him.) I have reclaimed my parchment so now I can get on with updating you with what else has happened.**

 **The answer to that is a fat load of nothing! The sea's completely calm and it's boiling outside. Luffy's practically melting if he steps outside, the entire ship smells like burning rubber, and Sabo's had heat stroke about five times in the past week. He also has really bad sunburn which is concerning a lot of us, especially our doctor, but he keeps trying to wave it off as nothing. The minute sunburn starts bleeding it cannot be waved off as nothing. Please tell him this when you get round to replying. Heck, tell Makino about it; she's bound to send a lecture that he clearly needs!**

 **But yeah, I'll be very busy as soon as we catch up to Whitebeard so I might not be able to write for a while.**

 **Missing you,**

 **Ace (and Sabo and Luffy)**

 **P.S. But a Warlord? Seriously?**

 **P.P.S. Sabo's just told me that it will be close to your birthday by the time you get this so HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I'll try and find a way to send you some good sake.**

 **P.P.P.S But don't expect much though because THEY WANT ME TO BECOME A FUCKING WARLORD!**

* * *

 _Dear Makino,_

 _Well this is slightly awkward. How long has it been since I last wrote? A month, two? Okay I know it was actually four and a half but I swear I have a good reason!_

 _Well I suppose I should start and tell you that we found Whitebeard. That's a good starting point, right?...Maybe not considering our circumstances._

 _We caught up to him about two weeks ago and when I say we caught up to him what I mean in we were in the general area he was and he knew that Ace wished to challenge him. However one of the Warlords, a fishman called Jimbei, arrived before Ace had the chance to find the big guy himself and challenged Ace to a fight in Whitebeard's name. I was too busy trying to get Luffy to dodge the stray fireballs to pay much attention to what they were saying. But it lasted for three days Makino; three!_

 _Jimbei is certainly a powerful opponent. Plus the fact that his element has the natural affinity over Ace's certainly gave Ace a lot of trouble. Apparently Whitebeard protects his home island so Jimbei tries to protect Whitebeard as best he can. I guess he's a pretty honourable guy in that respect. But after three days Ace finally defeated Jimbei but he was pretty close to passing out too. It was an awful but incredible fight to watch though I really could have done without seeing Ace so beaten at the end. He was absolutely exhausted!_

 _And then guess who happened to appear right after the duel had finished, completely fine and dandy and ready to fight? Whitebeard and all his pirates! Ace was exhausted and had just fought a three day long duel against Jimbei only for Whitebeard himself to show up and challenge him when he could barely pick himself up of the ground! Some great man Whitebeard is, huh? Wait until a man is close to passing out before deigning to reply to his challenge. It reeks of cowardice and arrogance and I hate him for it._

 _But you know Ace. As soon as he sees Whitebeard and knows that he doesn't stand a chance exhausted as he is he called for a full retreat and ordered the rest of our crew to take us with them, even if they had to tie us up to get us to leave Ace behind. He even erected a wall of fire to keep us from reaching him, the twat. I apologise for my language but I'm still trying to stop myself from hitting him for that idiotic move._

 _But, as I'm sure you've guessed by now, that didn't keep us away for long. However when we went back to the battlefield we found the Whitebeards gone: our brother along with them._

 _So we did what any sensible younger brothers with a crew full of worried, loyal, vengeful pirates would do; we gave chase and soon found their ship again._

 _The Moby Dick, for all the pirates inhabiting her, is a truly marvellous ship that dwarfs any navy battleship in size and scale. Her white wooden head is always smiling, grinning with magnificent whale's teeth. I'm not sure how many people on board know this but, if you're brave enough, you can climb down her face and squirm your way through a gap in her teeth and there's a compartment behind them that's kind of like a cabin really. It's quite cosy in there and it's from that cabin, with the sea wind in my ears and the salt on my tongue that I write this letter to you. Yes the Moby Dick is truly a wondrous ship and if it wasn't for the fact that her crew had kidnapped my brother then I might be inclined to like the crew almost as much as I like their home._

 _But I digress. We knew we had no chance of going up against the Whitebeards on land so what on earth we were thinking of going up against them on their home vessel I have no idea. But we wanted our brother back._

 _Unfortunately we did lose that battle but I suppose something we said must have gained their sympathies or something because they kept us on board, just tied up. They separated Luffy and I from the rest of the crew, seeing as we were the ones that refused to give up and stayed fighting even after everyone had been defeated. It was awful to see our comrades lying on the floor like that, not moving but to breathe. But we failed to protect them, failed to rescue our brother, and then we were separated from everyone but each other. However the Whitebeard obviously didn't expect us to know how to escape ropes because they seemed honestly surprised when we charged up on deck again using the ropes they bounds us with as weapons. I will spare you the details though as I'm sure you could do without those._

 _Though they decided to tie us to the main mast with steel cables so they could keep an eye on us and Luffy couldn't chew his way out._

 _However once Ace was up and walking (he still looked pretty exhausted though) it was explained that the Whitebeard wanted Ace to join their crew and they would be keeping us with them until he said yes. Ace being Ace told them to stick their offer where the sun doesn't shine and he's been trying to assassinate Whitebeard consistently over the past few days._

 _As for Luffy and me, well, we mainly explore and find hiding places among this massive ship whilst trying not to talk to anyone too much (although Luffy still gets roped into conversations with the Whitebeards sometimes. After all, when did being kidnapped stop Luffy from making friends?)_

 _I doubt I'll be able to write very much now as I don't know how long we'll be stuck on this crew but I'm hoping that their desire for us to join them will allow me to send this letter to you in the first place._

 _Loving and missing you always,_

 _Buttercup, Blossom and Bubbles._

* * *

 **Dear Dadan,**

 **I hate old men. And fathers. And old men who want you to become their son.**

 **Do you know why I hate them Dadan?**

 **BECAUSE I HATE FATHERS!**

 **Nothing ever good comes from having a father. I have been hunted all my life because of who my fucking father is, Sabo was abused and emotionally neglected by his father and used like a piece of property to get him more status, and Luffy doesn't even know who his father is!**

 **Not that I think he would care if he did but still!**

 **Honestly Dragon is still probably the best Dad out of all three of them because at least he hasn't been around to fuck Luffy over nor has his last name ever been let slip because of the old geezer so at least there was no governmental dickhead trying to assassinate Lu since he was a toddler.**

 **But yeah, I hate fathers.**

 **Do you want to know what brought this rant on?**

 **WHITEBEARD WANTS ME TO JOIN HIS CREW AND BECOME HIS SON!**

 **FUCK HIM IS WHAT I'M SAYING TO THAT!**

 **Honestly, who wants to adopt someone who is determined to kill them? And you can't say Luffy because we adopted him and long after we stopped trying to kill him.**

 **Also can you send me more assassination ideas? My head's swimming too much to think straight.**

 **Love,**

 **Ace, Sabo and Luffy.**

 _P.S. The only way he was able to write this letter was with my help so please don't lecture him on ranting in letters. I think he has a concussion from flying through the railings too much._

* * *

 _Dear Makino,_

 _I bet you're surprised to get this letter so soon after the last one, aren't you? I know it's only been a few weeks but apparently the people on this ship are more than happy to help send letters to home islands. I personally think it's their way of trying to win us over and get us to join their crew but they should know by now that we follow Ace and Ace is still trying to kill Whitebeard._

 _Well I suppose I should keep you updated on who we're now living with for this short space of time, shouldn't I?_

 _Well the first 'friend' we've made on this ship is (surprise surprise) the head chef and the fourth division commander. His name is Thatch and if Ace wasn't so busy trying to kill Whitebeard I honestly think they would be the best of friends. Still debating whether or not that's a good thing though. What can be said about Thatch? Well, he's always cheerful and he's the most persistent at talking to us. He's also the ship's best prankster which is why I don't know if it's a good thing for him to be friends with Ace. If they co-operated then the Moby Dick would be in shambled by the end of the week. You know, maybe that's not such a bad idea..._

 _The one problem with it would be the first mate and first division commander. His name is Marco and, as far as I can tell, he's in charge of discipline and making sure everything runs smoothly on the ship. Or as smoothly as he can seeing as everyone on board is nuts. But the good kind of nuts, not the bloodthirsty 'I'm-going-to-kill-you-if-you-blink-at-me-wrong' kind of nuts. Marco as a guy is pretty cool; he's relaxed around us and genuinely seems to want to help us get along with his 'family'. According to some of the crew he's older than any of them and was apparently Whitebeard's first 'son'. He barely looks like he's out his late twenties though! He's eaten a Mythical Zoan fruit though, the Phoenix model, so maybe that granted him immortality or something? Or maybe just a really really really long life...I doubt he'd tell me if I asked him though. He seems kinda like Dadan in the way he'd most likely blow up if I asked him what his age was. My ear still hurts from the time I asked Dadan that._

 _Another person I find quite interesting is one of the fishmen on board. His name is Namur and he's a shark fishman. He's also the commander of the eighth division and the one who helps me fish the idiot I call a brother out of the water every day. If I'm not there he'll always rescue Ace for me which is nice. It's also really interesting to learn about his culture. Fishmen and Fishman Island sound so interesting! Apparently the mermaid princess is a giant, larger than every other mermaid living despite being only a child. Though it does sound quite dangerous for humans to visit at the moment. Of course, I don't blame the fishmen for wanting to fight back against the oppression that humans subject them to. It's not right for people to treat another race the way they do just because they have gills or a tail and can breathe underwater._

 _Racism is stupid. Why can't we all just accept one another the way we are and be done with it?_

 _Sorry, this letter got pretty heavy again didn't it?_

 _It must seem so strange to you to hear of our adventures from Foosha, huh? Then again you handled Luffy growing up around you so I don't suppose anything really shocks you now, does it?_

 _How are things back home anyway? Is the Party Bar still going strong? How are Dadan and her bandits? How much did Woop Slap explode when the article came out about Ace's confrontation with Whitebeard?_

 _I don't think the marines have clicked that the Whitebeards took us with them yet so if you could not mention it to Gramps that would be great._

 _Thanks!_

 _Loving and missing you,_

 _Sabo, Ace and Luffy._

 _P.S. I don't want the nosy sods on this ship to learn our nicknames so we'll sign them in our names for now._

* * *

 **Hey Dadan.**

 **Ignore the ink splatters above please; my hands must still be shaking from the last fight I was in.**

 **I... I talked to Marco earlier today. You know; the first mate of the Whitebeards, pretty relaxed guy, Phoenix powers, looks like a pineapple? I'm sure Sabo mentioned him in his last letter. Well anyway I talked with him earlier about something.**

 **...Dadan? What do you do if you want something so badly but you've been fighting against it a really long time?**

 **I want freedom. I've known that most of my life. I want to be able to go wherever I want, do whatever I want! I never want to be bound to something or tied down to something.**

 **You know that, right Dadan?**

 **That's why I had to go to sea, had to become a pirate no matter what Gramps wanted for me. I get he wanted me to join the marines because he is a marine but that meant I had to be tied to an organization that wanted to kill me. As a pirate I never had to obey any rules but my own, never had to listen to anyone but myself. Sure I listened to Sabo and Makou when they were saying something was too dangerous or risky but I always had the option not to.**

 **And I love that life. The freedom of choice and the freedom of knowing who I am but not being bothered with it because I was making my own name known and I loved that.**

 **But now... now I don't know what I truly want anymore.**

 **Every day I've spent on the Moby Dick has been amazing. Everyone here just seems to get me. I don't know how to explain it. They know when I'm happy or when I'm genuinely angry, they know if I want company or want to be left alone without me even opening my mouth. They accept me as their ship-brother despite the fact I've been horrible to them; I've tried to kill their captain multiple times for crying out loud!**

 **Dadan...Marco told me that the reason they called their captain their father is because he gave them a home. He accepted them when no-one else in the world would. He gave a home and a family to the outcasts and he loves them all, despite what they may have done before they were a part of his crew.**

 **Is it bad that I want to be part of that family too? Is it bad that I want to call all these pirates my brothers and sisters, have a home to come back to...and have a father who will actually be there for me?**

 **I know I told you I hate fathers. I've said that for as long as I can remember... but I don't hate Whitebeard. Not anymore any way.**

 **I...I want to call him my father.**

 **Is that nuts?**

 **But I've talked to Sabo and Luffy too and they both like it here as well. Luffy's still determined to leave in a few years to come back and start his journey in East Blue but he likes everyone on board and I'm sure he won't mind being a Whitebeard for a few years. Sabo wants to stay too. He likes how everyone on board loves and fights for freedom just as much as we do.**

 **Maybe that's why I wouldn't mind being tied down to this crew. I wouldn't really be tied down. I'd still be free but I'd have a home and family at my back to support and love me for who I am. Not hate me for a name I never wanted.**

 **I guess what I'm trying to get across in this letter is that tomorrow I'm becoming a Whitebeard Pirate along with Sabo and Luffy.**

 **And I wanted to thank you as well Dadan; for being so supportive of us three no matter what we chose to do and I know you'll support us through this as well.**

 **So yeah, thank you!**

 **Love,**

 **Ace, Sabo and Luffy.**

 **P.S. Thought I'd tag this on down here; the Whitebeard have this tradition of getting their mark tattooed somewhere to show you're a part of the family so guess who's getting another tattoo? It's going to cover my whole back if I have anything to say about it so you can't stop me on that!**

 **P.P.S I think Sabo's getting one on the juncture between his shoulder and his neck so it won't so obvious with all the shirts he wears. So you will hardly know it's there.**

* * *

 _Dear Makino,_

 _I'm going to assume the mail arrives correspondent to when it's written so I'm going to assume you got Ace's letter yesterday and now know that we officially became Whitebeard pirates late last night. It may seem strange to you that I'm writing a letter so soon after Ace sent his own but I wanted to tell you something (which I'm hoping won't make it back to Dadan)._

 _I got another tattoo this morning. It wasn't as painful as my Whitebeard one but it's worth more to me. I got ASL tattooed over my heart; our initials, you know? But I also got Izo (he's the one in charge of the tattoos and is pretty interesting) to put cherry blossoms behind the A, buttercups behind the S, and bubbles floating around the L. All the nicknames you gave us. I thought it was only right that I honoured our other family as well as our new one, right? I might ask Izo to take a picture so I can show you what it looks like._

 _That was mainly what I wanted to tell you any way. Thought it might be nice for you to know._

 _Another thing you might find interesting is that Ace is going to be learning to cook! How weird is that? He's doing it to learn about nutritional value in food while I read the medical books the doctors give me. After all, it's very important to know exactly what is going into our bodies especially given how much we eat. Is that why you kept trying to get me to eat cabbage when I was younger? Because I'm still saying it tasted nasty and I'm sure there was some other vegetable that would have done me the same amount of good with less mental trauma._

 _Anyway, I will write again soon when something interesting happens!_

 _Loving you always,_

 _Sabo, Ace and Luffy._

 _P.S. Tell Dadan she can look forward to rant free letters from Ace now. I doubt he will have much to rant about now._

* * *

 **Hey Dadan,**

 **Bet you're sick of getting so many frequent letters by now aren't you?**

 **But a lot has been happening lately!**

 **For one; we met Shanks a few weeks ago. When I say we, I mean me and Sabo. He's pretty awesome actually, I can really see why Luffy idolises him so much. He let us drink too which is pretty cool in my book. He told us a lot of stories about Luffy actually. Yeah, did you know where Luffy got that little scar under his eyes? Did you? Well let me enlighten you; HE STABBED HIMSELF THERE TO PROVE HE WAS BRAVE!**

 **I know Luffy can be an idiot sometimes but come on! Who just stabs themselves? And don't mention the time when I was four, I don't want my own mistakes to be used against me thanks. Besides, Sabo likes to read your letters back and he doesn't even know about that so please don't mention it or I'll have both of my brothers interrogating me.**

 **But yes, back to Shanks. He's actually a pretty relaxed guy; I thought he'd be all hyper like Luffy but apparently he only gets that way when they have a party or set out on a new adventure. Sounds familiar right? Maybe that means Luffy might calm down a little bit when he gets older.**

 **Also we ran into Gramps a few days ago. He hasn't changed much. He still threatened to beat us with his Fist of Love if we didn't come with him and he still said we needed to be trained to become marines but after talking to Pops he let us go. Strange, huh? Whilst I'm glad he's respecting our choices for once I still can't get over how he looked at us. It was like he was crushed or something.**

 **Despite how much we complain about him we do care about him. We really do! And I know none of us are really happy with the way he looked as he left. We're so glad that he let us stay and is letting us stay as Whitebeard Pirates but I can't help but think that maybe he thinks we don't love him anymore or something like that when we do!**

 **We do love him Dadan. If you see him before we do, make sure he remembers that, okay? We'll try and send birthday or Christmas presents to him. Hopefully that will show him that we won't forget him or stop caring about him.**

 **But yeah, apparently the Whitebeards are shocked that we've never had a 'proper' Christmas, whatever that's supposed to mean. So expect a lot of letters about that soon from either me or Sabo. Depends who feels up to writing at the time. Who knows, maybe Luffy will finally join in? He needs the practise any way so if he does help write our Christmas letters I apologise in advance for his bad handwriting.**

 **Love,**

 **Ace, Sabo and Luffy.**

 **P.S. I've included some pictures of Sabo after Izo got a hold of him. Since when did my little brother become so beautiful and why didn't you tell me before we left?!**

* * *

Heya Makino, Hi Dadan!

 _Hello from all three of us. We decided to write this letter together._

 **Which is why it's a mess of doodles and colours already because Luffy didn't want to wait for us and decided to draw all over the parchment.**

It's all of us together on the top! Shanks and Pops and Mama Pineapple ( **That's what he calls Marco)** and Thatch and Izo and Namur-

 _And I'm stealing the pen right here or else you would have a list of everyone on this ship and then we'd be sending you a book instead of a letter._

 _So I think I'll go first (Ace is too busy tickling Luffy to write at the moment)._

 _Anyway, Happy Christmas!_

 _We've been celebrating for twelve days now, or at least, preparing to celebrate for twelve days. We've been singing carols, helping decorating, Ace has been helping out in the kitchens and we even stopped off at a winter island so we could have a snow filled Christmas as well!_

 _Christmas here is certainly a lot different to Christmas on Mt. Corvo. Not that there's anything bad about spending the holiday with you guys but Christmas is just a bigger deal to these guys. Everyone, even the most reluctant, joined in with the story telling and the singing. It was just very jolly and happy. On Mt. Corvo you had to be careful because the cold could kill you at Christmas and there was always a shortage of food. Here there's always food being supplied by the chefs and if we get too cold all we have to do is hug Ace; it's brilliant!_

 **I would just like to say that I disapprove of being the human heater and would really like it if you can tell these two leeches to stop!**

 _Ignore him, he's just being a grump again. He likes getting hugs really._

 **Not when the only reason you're hugging me is to stay warm!**

Ace and Sabo are arguing now so I guess it's my turn to write!

Snow is really pretty isn't it? We buried Ace in the snow and had a massive snowball fight on deck. They kept trying to knock our hats off though which wasn't as fun but they never did! Thatch has been making us lots of hot chocolate though and he always gives me more marshmallows which annoys Ace and Sabo.

We all went and got a massive tree for the deck too! Everyone helped out with decorations and it looked awesome by the time we were finished with it. Pops even lifted me up so I could put the star on the tree without rocketing up and knocking it over. Pops is super tall so he can do stuff like that. He's even taller than Magra!

 **Luffy you come up to Magra's elbows; everyone's taller than you.**

Haruta's not taller than me! And you only just come up to Pops' knees! Also apparently Ace and Sabo have both grown a bit which they're happy about but it's not fair because they like to hold it over me. It's not my fault I'm shorter than them! I'm just catching up!

 **Keep telling yourself that and it just might come true Lu.**

 **Anyway thought you might like to know this; my friend Thatch (I've told you about him before right? Or maybe Sabo did...) well he's obsessed with Christmas and he and Luffy even thought it was a good idea to sing Christmas songs whilst we were fighting the marines! How idiotic is that?**

 _You were singing along with them you hypocrite!_

 **Shut up Sabo, I'm writing right now!**

 **As I was saying, can you please tell Luffy to pay more attention in his fights? We have enough on our plates with our own battles without worrying about him doing an idiotic move due to him singing Christmas songs and encouraging the enemy to get into the holiday spirit. If there is a single marine with said holiday spirit I will boil my boots and eat them!**

 _I know what I'm going to be doing in the next few days then._

 **What? Finding a festive marine?**

 _Yup! And I'm sure Thatch and Luffy will help me._

 **...I hate you.**

He doesn't hate you two! He's not speaking to Sabo so he's using the paper to sulk.

 **I am not sulking!**

Yes you are.

I hope you like your presents! We had a lot of fun finding them and we scared a few people when they saw your present Dadan. Thatch told us we should always get a funny gift for the people we love but Izo told us to get a gift that will mean something to you so we did both. Ace and I got you the funny gifts while Sabo helped with the special ones.

 _We've also included a whole load of pictures that our friends took and we've written on the back who is in them and what was going on so you'll really get to know some of our crew before we head back to East Blue in a couple of years._

 _So yeah, we hope you like your gifts! xxx_

 **We hope you have a wonderful Christmas! Xxx**

And we hope you have a good new year! Xxx

Love,

 **Ace,** _Sabo,_ and Luffy

p.s: Ace and Sabo don't know I slipped in the picture of them under the mistletoe with Thatch so please don't tell them you saw that!

* * *

 **A/N: There we go~ Hope you enjoyed those letters and that you enjoy the next chapter which will be: The Talk! (Also known as the moment of eternal embarrassment for Ace and Dadan)**


	2. The Talk

**A/N: Hey everyone~ I managed to get this one done pretty quick XD Hopefully I can kick my muse into gear for the other ones too. Though I am starting college again in three days so I might not write much as I try to get used to it again.**

 **Anyway this story was requested by zulqar95 and I will admit I had a lot of fun writing it XD Hopefully you'll see why Sabo isn't included~**

 **Now, on to The Ultimate Embarrassment For Fifteen Year Old Ace And Curly Dadan! Also known as 'The Talk'.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.**

* * *

"Ace. We need to talk."

The young freckled teenager looked over his shoulder with an irritated scowl before looking back to where his brothers were excitedly chattering about the trip up the mountain they had been planning for a while. Luffy had wanted to test his control over inflating himself and his oh so clever plan was to keep hurling himself from the top of the mountain until inflating himself became instinctive once airborne. Sabo and Ace were going along as moral support (and to laugh/fret themselves stupid over Luffy's recklessness).

"Can't it wait Old Hag? Luffy's really excited about this trip and we've already stocked you up on enough meat to last a week."

"It's not that." Dadan coughed, a blush starting to make its way up her cheeks as she noticed the other bandits huddled in the corner waving flags and quietly whispering words of support. She was not cut out for this. Why did Ace even need to know this stuff already?

"There's something important you need to know as you grow up and Magra believes it is high time you knew about it."

Ace blinked in confusion but his intrigue made him set down his travel bag and sit down in front of her. After all, what could Dadan know that was so important? Besides, she had never really cared about his education beforehand. The most she taught him was how to fend for himself. Makino taught him manners and Sabo was still teaching him how to read and write, though he had progressed a long way since he was six. For as long as he could remember Sabo had always been the one teaching him new things so why the heck had Dadan waited fifteen years to teach him about whatever this important thing was?

Dadan coughed into her hand, trying to think of a way to start as Ace's eyes peered curiously at her.

"Well you're fifteen now, a young man. And as I'm sure you've noticed by now your body is changing and growing as you get older."

She coughed again to stall. This really was too embarrassing. Especially with Ace sitting right across from her, head tilted in adorable confusion. Ace on the other hand was wondering where Dadan was going with this. He had noticed his body changing, noticed the marks on his skin from it stretched as he grew, had noticed that there was less of a discernible height difference between Sabo and himself. He had also noticed more...embarrassing...things to think about such as the difference in a part of his anatomy that was situated between his legs. There was a reason they all bathed separately now after all (they had been since Ace and Sabo had become thirteen and these changes had really started to show themselves).

"...you mean like the time Sabo refused to speak for a week because his voice was going all funny?" he asked, remembering how much it had scared Sabo to hear his voice change so much without him actually mimicking anyone.

"Yes exactly like that." Dadan latched on to this example like a dying sailor to a piece of driftwood, glad she wouldn't have to think of her own example to how Ace would change as he grew older.

"Then shouldn't Sabo be here too?" Ace asked, frowning slightly. If the changes that were affecting him needed to be talked about then surely Sabo, who was going through the same changes, would need to hear it as well.

"You can be the one to tell Sabo about this. I'm only cut out to inform one of you." She grumbled. She wasn't even cut out to tell Ace about this for crying out loud. It was times like this when she wished Makino lived with them as well; at least the other woman would have been able to get through this talk with her dignity and composure still intact!

"Why? What's so important that I have to tell Sabo about it but you can't?" Poor Ace was only getting more and more confused, and more and more frustrated with every second she stalled. He was in a hurry after all.

"Listen Ace there are some things you'll start to notice as you grow older. Mainly involving your...your..." Dadan swallowed nervously, hunting around in her head for a less embarrassing term than just outright saying 'your penis'.

"Your family jewels, let's just say that."

Almost at once Ace's face lit up in a fiery blush and he stared in wide-eyed embarrassment at an equally red Dadan. Why the hell was Dadan having a talk about his dick with him? What the hell was supposed to happen to it? Suddenly he was very glad that Sabo wasn't next to him at this moment of time. It would have been unbelievably awkward to have his brother here with him to discuss this.

"W-what the hell Old Hag? W-why is that important?"

"As you get older-" Dadan ploughed on, shutting her eyes and wishing she had about ten bottles of sake to get through this talk with.

"-you may start noticing things that make your family jewels react in certain ways. Whether they be a person's looks or anything thing else that makes them attractive towards you."

Ace stared at her in horror as he tried to press himself into the floor, wanting nothing more than the ground to swallow him up to escape this embarrassing hell.

"Say you really really like someone, and I mean you _really_ like them sometimes you will start to feel uncomfortable down there and you'll see a reaction happen when your...your family jewels start to...to grow and get more uncomfortable or...stand to attention as it were." By this time Dadan had her head in her hands and was physically trying to force the words out of her mouth. She did not want to explain getting an erection to a young man who she helped bathe and change as a baby. This must be karma for being such an awful foster mother during the earlier years of Ace's life and it was now all coming back to bite her in the arse.

Ace on the other hand was staring imploringly at the snickering bandits, wishing that any of them would give him an escape from this humiliation.

"...Now if the person you really like is a woman then some things might lead to another and you might end up having what we call 'sex' with her. You can also have sex with a man but if you have sex with a woman then there is a chance of her getting pregnant and producing a child."

"But I don't want a kid." Ace protested, pulling his face from the floor to look at Dadan like she was insane. Sure the idea of raising a kid might be appealing and sweet but he couldn't curse an innocent child with his blood; couldn't condemn it to the life his father condemned him to.

"Well then if you have sex with a woman make sure you're protected and she is too. You can wear something called a 'condom' which I'm going to make someone else explain to you because I don't even want to be doing this whilst a woman can take a pill to prevent a child from being formed in her womb."

"Why can't she just take the pill and be done with it?"

"Because it's not just her responsibility." Dadan snapped, frowning a little at the reluctant confusing and curiosity in Ace's eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that when you make a child it requires something from the man called sperm which, through sex, travels into the woman's womb and into the tubes connected to her ovaries in the hopes of finding an egg and fertilising it. Sometimes this doesn't happen and sometimes it does and it's impossible to tell right away. A condom prevents sperm from entering a woman's body but they can sometimes be flimsy and break which is why is a man wears one and a woman takes the pill it reduces the chance of a baby almost completely."

"So the guy is responsible as well is what you're saying?"

"Yes."

"Okay, can I go now? I need to go drown myself." Ace pleaded, face burning in mortification as he inched towards the door.

"Oh don't be so dramatic."Dadan grumbled, though she was very close to shooting herself for letting Magra talk her into this. "You still don't know how to have sex and you don't know anything about the dangers or how to have sex with a guy-"

"I'll ask if I want to know." Ace shouted, clapping his hands to his ears and bolting for the door, not wanting to stay another minute to listen to such an embarrassing topic.

"What's the matter with you?" Sabo asked as Ace rushed down to meet them, face burning and looking like he was about to be sick.

"N-nothing." Ace squeaked, mind flashing back to Dadan telling him he'd have to be the one to tell Sabo about all of that. Fat chance in hell of that happening. Ace didn't think he could stand talking to Sabo about sex and body stuff; Sabo's curiosity would most likely mean asking questions that Ace didn't know the answer to and would most likely make him even more embarrassed than before.

"Ace looks like he's going to puke." Luffy pointed out helpfully, watching his big brother with wide, concerned eyes.

"He does." Sabo agreed, reaching forward to check his temperature only for his eyes to widen in surprise as Ace pulled away from him in a panic.

Ace backed away from his brothers, stuffing his hands in his shorts and his mind raced with what Dadan had just told him. He did not want anything happening to his dick around his brothers. After all he liked the both of them more than anyone else and Dadan said that his dick would 'stand to attention' around people he really liked. But so far he wasn't feeling uncomfortable down there, just uncomfortable embarrassment everywhere else.

"Maybe we should go see Dadan and Magra?" Luffy suggested, thinking all Ace needed was some medicine. Neither of them expected the high pitched scream Ace emitted as he raced away from them towards the mountain.

"You'll never take me alive! I'm never going back there; Never!"

"Ace what's wrong? If you're sick you need medicine!"

"Ace slow down! We can't keep up!"

Both his younger brothers tore after him in worried concern, wondering dazedly what could have happened to Ace to get him to scream like that.

* * *

 **A/N: Ahh poor Ace, so confused and embarrassed~ Hope you liked this incredibly awkward little story and that you look forward to the next story: Mama Marco's Daycare! R &R~**

 **Thewibblywobblywolf** **\- Well I should be back for a while when I'm not in lessons/ writing so hopefully there's no need to worry~ Though sorry about my latest spree of messages :p I'm glad I managed to surprise you :) I love their relationship so much because they obviously care a lot abou each other no matter how much they try and hide it. I always loved the idea of Ace writing to Dadan for advice though he'd try really hard to make it sound like he wasn't asking for her advice at all. But yes, autocorrect was messing around a bit but I think I've managed to sort it out. And I hope you liked this awkward mess of a story, it was a lot of fun to write XD**

 **YaoiChick1** **\- No, it didn't quite work out for him did it? Sabo and Ace will write to Luffy and not only relay their on thoughts but also the thoughts of the whole family as they will be the only ones able to get their letters to him until he gets a den den mushi; then they're going to call him to complain/brag. After the Episode of Sabo I think everyone needs a bit of cheering up (something a friend of mine has not yet figured out) so I hope this chapter did that for you XD**

 **DMCP** **\- Not for British English there isn't. Compiling only has another L if it's the American spelling. Don't know why but there you go~ But yes; they're all being adorable little shits and not telling their mothers the extent of the trouble they get into~ Luffy never remembered so it's unlikely that there'll be a collection of Luffy letters (he mainly sends back pictures whenever Ace or Sabo are sending a letter).**

 **Ukeobsessed** **\- I edited the credit so now it says your proper username. Sorry about that. But I'm glad you liked it~ Sabo was the one to actually remember to write and it was Makino who asked them to so they just started using that as a routine and Ace was saddled with writing to Dadan (though he really doesn't mind it~) Dadan has been with him since he was a baby so I always thought he'd want to at least let her know about his decision if not ask for her advice on it. Poor Garp :'( but he does know they love him (or at least, he has an idea that they do). But yes, Luffy must embarrass them some way after all the embarrassing things those two do to him XD I'm glad you liked it so much; thank you for suggesting it!**

 **MissJenca** **\- Happy it made you giggle XD The last letter was the hardest to write so I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for being so patient with me and I really am sorry that I'm going to be slow on updates for a while longer.**

 **Mad Y u e** **\- If you do then good luck getting through the badly written first chapters XD I'm glad you liked it though and I hope you like this too~**

 **AnAngelandHisHunter** **\- Thank you very much; I'm glad you liked it~**


	3. Mama Marco's Daycare

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for not updating in so long. College has started back up for me and it sent me to place with no wifi or signal so I wasn't able to do much and I now have to do uni applications and stuff for being a grown up that I don't want to do! Plus I've been having massive writers block for most of my stories and so have only been able to work on them bit by bit. So sorry if this one isn't up to my usual standard but at least it's got fluff in it right? You know what to expect from me by now XD**

 **Anyway this was requested by the absolutely amazing** **Olympian-King** **and I hope I did your idea justice (and if not I'm going to get working on that other one you requested too XD)**

 **Disclaimer: It's probably a very good thing that I don't own One Piece isn't it?**

* * *

"So...how did this happen again, yoi?"

Marco's tired voice cut across the discordant chatter and let his laughing crew mates take a moment to pity the poor First Division commander for the headache this problem was going to cause him. Seventeen sets of wide, terrified eyes blinked up at him, all imploring him to fix this.

'This' happened to refer to the ship-wide disaster that the Whitebeard pirates had woken up to this morning in the form of fourteen division commanders and three adorable brothers shrunken back into tiny tots. And they had certainly not been happy about it.

Poor little Ace and Sabo had been running around on their tiny, six-year old legs to calm down a three year old Luffy, who had taken one look at his miniscule body and had promptly burst into tears. Thatch and Haruta had wreaked havoc on the sweetie supplies in ways only seven-year olds could. Namur had decided he wanted to live in the bath tub after finding out it fit his now nine-year old body perfectly and had caused a massive hold up for people who wanted to be clean that morning. Fossa had tried seven times unsuccessfully to take a smoke that morning as no-one on the crew would allow a ten year old to smoke.

All through the ship the, now children, commanders were causing mayhem of the most childish degree and while it seemed to be amusing Whitebeard to no end to see how many of his sons it took to reach his knee now, it certainly wasn't amusing for Marco.

"Pops? Seeing as we're kids does that mean we don't have to do paperwork?" Blenheim asked as he blinked up at Whitebeard, tilting his head to the side and trying to copy the eyes Luffy made whenever he wanted something really badly.

"No." Pops chuckled, finding it slightly amusing to see one of his oldest Commanders trying to copy their youngest's puppy dog eyes.

"But I don't want to hear you pawning it all off on Marco either as he's going to be the one taking care of you all."

"What?" Marco yelped, dropping a struggling Haruta to stare at his father in horror. When did he become the nanny of the Whitebeards?

Whitebeard chuckled at the horrified looking on Marco's face. It was rare he got to see an expression that wasn't boredom or anger from his eldest son so he was going to enjoy this while it lasted.

"That's right son. You're one of the most responsible adults on this ship and they'll listen to you."

As if to prove his point little Luffy struggled to his feet and toddled over to Marco, grasping his leg in his tiny fist and staring up at him with trembling eyes.

"I don't like being tiny Mama. Fix this please?"

Marco let out a resigned sigh before scooping Luffy up into his arms and gazing around at all his de-aged siblings. All of them were gazing up at him with expectant eyes but Marco could detect the undercurrent of fear and anxiety they all shared. After all, what could have possibly changed them back into children?

"Alright, yoi. I'll take care of them." Around of cheers went up from the miniature pirates which was quickly silenced by a sharp glare from Marco. "But if I need a break from you then I'm letting your divisions take care of you, understand?"

Dread and despair crashed on their childish, chubby faces. If they were handed over to their divisions they would never hear the end of it once they were returned to normal. Besides, despite loving their siblings a lot, some of the people that lived with them you would not trust to take care of a pet, let alone a child.

"We promise to be good." They chorused quickly, sitting down around Marco and pretending to be little angels in the hopes that it would get the eldest to soften up a little bit and retract his threat. Tough luck for them. Marco was not budging on his threat; it was the only way he could guarantee they'd be as well behaved as they could be.

Honestly why did things like this keep happening to their family? It seemed like all the weird shit that could possibly happen did happen to them. When would the universe give Marco the day off?

* * *

"Fossa don't you even think about touching that cigar, yoi."

"Jozu I don't care if Haruta was using you as a climbing frame; don't drop her off the side!"

"Izo please don't cry, we can find some clothes to fit you soon, yoi."

"ATMOS PUT THAT HAMMER DOWN NOW!"

A chorus of screaming, laughing, giggling and yelling echoed around every corner, snuck through every crack in the wall, followed the footsteps of everyone on board. Did these kids even know what the term 'best behaviour' meant?

All throughout the morning every person on board had been; pranked, screamed at, sung to, ridden around like a pony, subjected to hide-and-go-seek, dressed up, forced into having a tea party, made to read stories, hit, punched, kicked, and then interrogated by Marco after escaping one little hellion after the next.

It was an absolute nightmare.

And did their pops, their captain, their leader, do anything about it?

Nope. He just sat back on his arse and laughed his head off at their suffering.

And while most of them had thought that it would be the ASL brothers that would cause Marco the most strife, they were the most well behaved. Sure Thatch had tried to rope them into pranking the crew, claiming that their smaller bodies would mean even better vantage spots, but they had just blinked at him blankly before resuming their game of 'climb-Pops-mountain' (they were trying to get to Pops' knee, not an easy feat when they were small enough to fit into his palm.)

On the one hand Marco was glad that the three of them were preoccupied and he didn't have to take care of them too much. On the other hand he wished the rest of his siblings would be that complacent.

"How are you three so good when everyone else is going nuts, yoi?" Marco complained as he sank to the ground in front of Whitebeard's chair, helping Luffy into his lap from where the toddler had fallen over.

"We're used to having to entertain ourselves." Ace explained, sitting down next to Marco and patting Luffy's hair as the littlest stifled a large yawn. A bright, innocent smile spread across his freckled cheeks and he beamed up at Marco.

Why Ace was so happy he couldn't tell; if Marco had been de-aged he would have locked himself up in his room and not come out until he was an adult again.

"Besides, you have enough to do without looking after us too." Sabo chimed in, lying down next to his brother on the deck, head propped up in his hands and a smile on his face.

It was strange to see him without all his scars and with short hair but it was also strange to see Ace without his tattoos. Whatever had done this to them had reversed their ages perfectly so they looked like they had at that age. Thatch had teased Ace mercilessly when the six year old had realised that his right canine had gone, leaving a hole in his teeth from when it had dropped out. Two of Sabo's bottom teeth were also missing and Luffy's top incisor was starting to wobble.

"But you're the youngest, yoi. I wouldn't mind looking after you three." Marco confessed, running his fingers soothingly through Ace's wavy hair as the young child leant into his side with a small yawn. It looked like they were getting tired for some reason. Must have been all that climbing they were doing earlier.

"Don't worry Mama." Luffy mumbled, leaning up to pat his cheek clumsily before dropping back into his lap, eyes drifting closed in drowsiness. "We'll be fine...You need to...take care of everyone else..."

"Give them here my son." Whitebeard whispered, leaning down to gather up his youngest three in his hands as they all started dozing off. "I'll watch over them for now. It looks like Haruta and Thatch need a time out."

"Don't they all, yoi?" Marco grumbled before sweeping the hair out of their faces with a tender smile, content in knowing they were with their father. They looked so young and tiny like this, it was heart-warming to see.

Maybe it wasn't all such a bad thing if he got to see that sweet side that hadn't completely left the three brothers.

Soon he would be wondering why he ever thought this was a good idea.

* * *

One custard war, two pillow fights, six screaming matches and several attempts on Marco's life later, all fourteen de-aged commanders and three tiny tots were standing in front of Whitebeard. Some had shame (and custard) on their faces, others were pouting (with feathers still in their hair) and others (mainly Luffy) were smiling brightly up at Whitebeard without a care in the world.

"Now brats, you have not been very well behaved today, have you?" he rumbled, sparing a sympathetic glance towards his eldest son and current babysitter. The tick in Marco's eyebrow was going which was never a good sign. It usually preluded his eldest lecturing him about his health or threatening to take his booze away. Hopefully the little demons hadn't pushed Marco that far yet and he could still save his precious alcohol.

"We ain't done nothing wrong." Rakuyo muttered, hugging his flail to his chest as it's 'tail' patted his head in comfort.

Moving away from how odd his son looked without a moustache and being comforted by a weapon, Whitebeard continued on.

"You've deliberately ignored Marco's orders and you've gone out of your way to make life hard for him. He's had to look after all fourteen of you today and that's not an easy feat."

"But Pops we're pirates!" Haruta protested, stomping her foot as she pouted up at him. "We don't need a baby sitter!"

"So the reason your divisions have been fussing over you all day is because you're fearsome pirates?" He countered with an easy grin, pointing out the flaw in her argument. They weren't just pirates today; they were little kids.

Guilty and uncomfortable silence spread through the commanders as they fidgeted under the combined stares of Whitebeard and Marco. Finally Thatch let out a massive sigh, stalked up to Marco and threw his arms around what little of him he could, burying his face into the phoenix's hip.

"Sorry Marco." He muttered, looking up at his elder brother with apologetic eyes.

Marco glowered at him for a few seconds longer before allowing himself to melt into a smile. He bent down on his knees and pulled Thatch into a proper hug, ruffling the surprising short hair of one of his dearest friends.

"I don't know what I was expecting, asking a troublemaker to behave, yoi."

"Yeah, that was pretty dumb of you." Thatch agreed with a teasing chuckle, letting out a yelp of surprise when Marco scooped him up and settled him on his shoulders.

"Well I'm not the one who has to take a bath to get all the feathers out of my hair." Marco pointed out with a smirk, not even needing to see Thatch's face to know he would be looking like a betrayed puppy.

"Marcooo! Not cool bro!" Thatch whined but nevertheless he didn't try and escape Marco's hold and he let the elder man lead him and several other dirty children towards the bathrooms, leaving the clean kids with Pops to listen to cool stories. Even though they had heard them all about a million times, there was something thrilling about listening to them as kids that they just didn't get as adults.

Namur helped him get everyone into the water and soon he was helping wash his siblings hair and breaking up water fights that were breaking out amongst the rowdier children.

"Look Marco; I'm Pops!" Haruta exclaimed as she smashed bubbles into her face to form a sloppy looking bubble moustache.

"If you want to be Pops does that mean I have to shave your hair off, yoi?" Marco teased her, watching in hidden amusement as she blanched and ducked her head back under the water to rinse the bubbles off her face.

"That wasn't very nice you know." Izo pointed out as Marco went back to lathering the shampoo into his hair. Even as a seven year old Izo had long hair. It made him wonder when he had started growing it and what he had looked like with short hair.

"You were teasing Thatch earlier about his hair, yoi." Marco replied fairly, tipping Izo head back so that he could rinse out the soap bubbles without them getting in Izo's eyes. Shampoo in your eyes stung and kids had a tendency to complain more about it than any other being Marco had met.

"Yeah but that's Thatch." Izo argued back, sticking out his tongue before spluttering as he got a taste of bath water.

"I heard that." The aforementioned redhead yelled across the room, chasing Curiel around the shower area and slipping on the wet floor. This ultimately lead to Thatch declaring war on the bar of soap that he slid on and chucking it across at Kingdew which ultimately led to another soap war.

' _Well at least they're getting clean.'_ Marco thought to himself, trying to find the positive side in things as he ducked a flying washcloth. It was hard to find though as he watched several of his brothers be sent flying in all their soapy glory. After a few minutes it became less frustrating to him though and he allowed himself to find a little bit of amusement in seeing Atmos and Thatch gang up in an attempt to get Namur to ingest a handful of suds. And he supposed he couldn't be blamed for letting out a few chuckles when Haruta started to dump buckets of cold water over her brothers heads (he wasn't sure if he wanted to know how she was getting them), sending them diving back into the warmer water.

It was strange how they would kick up a fuss about it being bath time and then kick up another fuss when he tried to get them to leave the bath and get some clothes on. He would never understand children.

He carefully towel dried Izo's hair, pushing all the water out of the strands as gently as he could while making sure Thatch did actually get his pyjamas on correctly and not back to front like he had for the past three attempts. Soon blankets were handed out, socks were found and pulled up to their knees, and they were all stumbling back out onto the deck in a tired line. Thatch was clutching tightly to Marco's hand, trying valiantly to stave off a yawn whilst Haruta had already given up on being conscious and was now nestled in the crook of Marco's arm, supported against his chest. Blenheim was giving an equally tired Izo a piggyback and Fossa and Vista had wrapped their blankets around each other and were huddling together for support.

"Looks like some people are tired." Whitebeard chuckled gently as he watched the blanketed band draw closer.

"Something like that, yoi." Marco agreed with a soft smile, placing Haruta down in the nest of pillows and blankets that the other group of children that didn't need a bath had made. All fourteen commanders sleepily went about settling down into the nest, cocooning themselves in duvets to keep warm but leaving a suspiciously big patch unoccupied, right in the middle of them.

"Mama Marco...sleep here...okay?" Luffy yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes before patting the spot next to him.

Marco knew he couldn't say no to Luffy, especially not while he looked like that and so he carefully started to pick his way through his numerous siblings before settling down in the middle of them. As soon as he was down Luffy was curling up on his chest, Sabo was snuggled into his side, Ace and Thatch were both using one of his shins as pillows, Haruta had wiggled her way over to rest on his stomach and Izo was camped down on his other side. The rest of his siblings were forced to make room for themselves elsewhere, twisting around each other and budging over to make as least room as possible; all crowding around each other for the love and warmth they knew would be there for them.

"Ace...sing that song...please..." Thatch muttered, reaching over to hold onto his little brother's hand as Ace peered blearily up at him. A quiet murmur of approval went up from the sleepy group and Ace smiled slowly before humming out the melody to Shanks' lullaby.

Halfway through the song Marco took over, singing his siblings softly to sleep, letting dreams drift over them like the stardust drifting by in the sky. One by one they dropped to sleep, content and warm, with family surrounding them and their big brother watching over them all.

And who wouldn't be content just to stay that way?

Of course when morning comes it will all be reversed and they'll wake up, adults again. They'll have to clean up their messes, apologise to their divisions, get started on chores, catch up on the paperwork most of them didn't ever do, and go on like this had never happened.

But for tonight they were children again and they had what most of them had wished for as children: a warm, loving, beautiful family that was brighter than every sun and had more love than there were stars in the sky.

* * *

 **A/N: Well wasn't that a sappy ending? Sorry again for the late update and I hope you all enjoyed this! R &R~**

 **Thewibblywobblywolf** **\- All the children suffer when they learn about sex. PROTECT THE INNOCENT BBYS! Hope you like this chapter and I hope you're feeling better (or I might have to sail over with paracetamol. Don't ask how I'll do it, I just will!)**

 **Lady of the Shards** **\- I'm glad it made you giggle~**

 **DMCP** **\- That's still coming up as incorrect on my spell checker...WHY DOES ENGLISH HAVE TO BE SO STUPID?! Sorry! That's going to be a very awkward and stressful day. I'm trying to think of how Zoro would explain sex now and all I'm getting is 'punch the hole with your dick' and I don't know why? OTL**

 **UkeObessed** **\- I'd feel sorry for Ace; he has that as a memory (Sabo and Luffy were spared that trauma and Dadan blocked that memory out with alcohol). Well, he went craz** _ **ier**_ **XD. I'm still really happy to hear you liked it and I'm glad you liked last chapter too! (don't worry I hate mobile everything too~)**

 **YaoiChick1** **\- Oh gosh, I'm not sure if I should glad it made you laugh so much or concerned that it made you laugh so much XD I'm glad you liked it though~ Hope you like Mama Marco!**

 **MissJenca** **\- Nobody did escape it did they? And they wonder why Ace was traumatised from that... I'm glad it made you laugh~**


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